May 1, 2013

Written by

Walter F. Roche Jr.

The Tennessean

A former top U.S. Justice Department official, Reid Weingarten, has been hired by Pilot Flying J to look into allegations of a rebate skimming scandal.

Weingarten’s appointment was announced Wednesday. He will “lead, oversee and validate an internal investigation of recent federal allegations that Pilot Flying J underpaid rebates on diesel fuel purchases,” the company said in an announcement.

Jimmy Haslam, the company CEO, had promised in a media conference following an April 15 federal raid that a former Justice Department official would be brought in to investigate allegations. Those were spelled out in a 120-page affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.

Pilot also announced that R. Brad Martin will head a special committee of Pilot’s board to work with Weingarten and eventually receive his report. Martin is chairman of RBM Venture Com and serves on the boards of FedEx, First Horizon, Chesapeake Energy and Dillard’s.

Weingarten, a Washington, D.C. attorney, was a trial attorney in the Public Integrity division of the U.S. Justice Department before going into private practice.